Janet Jackson's breast has become the most searched-for image in net history.

Search engines reported a big jump in searches for terms such as Janet Jackson and Super Bowl, as people turn to the web for images of the event.

The maker of digital video recorders, Tivo, said it was also one of the most watched moments in US TV history, as people paused and replayed the event.

Jackson's right breast was seen by millions on TV after Justin Timberlake pulled at her bodice during a duet.

Bigger than Britney

Search engine Lycos said the brief flash of flesh had become the most searched for event in its history, even beating searches for 11 September.

"On Monday, Janet Jackson and the half-time show received 60 times as many searches as the Paris Hilton sex tape and 80 times as many searches as Britney Spears," said Aaron Schatz, who compiles a daily list of top search phrases for Lycos.

TOP GAINING ENTRIES ON GOOGLE

Janet Jackson

Super Bowl half-time

MTV

Justin Timberlake

Tom Brady

Groundhog day

CBS

Oscar nominations

Kazuhito Tadano

John Kerry

"Prior to this week, the most-searched event in the history of The Lycos 50 over a one-day period was the September 11 attack on America," he added.

"Jackson's half-time exposure also far surpasses the other top stories we've tracked on The Lycos 50."

Other search engines also reported an explosion in interest in the American singer.

People using Google searched for "Janet Jackson" almost 10 times more the day after the game than they did on Sunday, said the company.

And by Wednesday Jackson broke records on Yahoo, accounting for nearly 20% of all terms searched on the site.

Singer Justin Timberlake tore off part of Jackson's black leather bustier during the Super Bowl performance, exposing one bare breast to almost 100 million television viewers..

The Super Bowl flash has caused outrage in some quarters in the US, with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Michael Powell describing it as a "classless, crass and deplorable stunt".

The FCC, the main government media watchdog, has announced an inquiry to see whether the display of flesh constituted indecency.